Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag is a former professional esports player turned CEO and founder for his company 100 Thieves.
Haag competed for many years in the game “Call of Duty,” and has discovered over the years that he now gets headaches that have been caused by sitting in front of a screen for long periods of time each day.
“I’ve been in front of a screen for most of my adult life. I’ve dealt with headaches for a while, and didn’t really know the cause. Your early 20’s feel like you’re invincible and that’s probably what most people feel like when it comes to their health,” said Haag.
According to a Nielsen Company audience study, the average person in the United States spends approximately 10 hours and 39 minutes in front of a screen every day. Another report states that out of 168 total hours in a week, people spend an average of 50 hours with devices. Screens have become extremely dominant in our world, and many people don’t know the adverse effects those screens can have on our health.
“Screen time is associated with headache attack onset for a lot of different reasons. Screens are bright, glowing objects right in front of our eyes. We’re focusing on exactly the same point for hours on end, which causes a ton of strain on the eyes,” says Dr. Elizabeth Seng, a clinical psychologist and headache expert.
For Haag, he says learning to take deep breaths during his screen time has really helped eliminate his headaches. “I think deep breathing is something that’s not only applicable for gamers but really anyone across the world,” said Haag. “It’s something that I didn’t really think about too much when I was younger and didn’t realize breathing and how you breathe affects how you feel and how you think.”
Excedrin is a leader in headache medicine, and they’ve created a helpful routine to help those being affected by screen-time-related health issues. If you’d like to learn more about the routine, click here.
Haag doesn’t want parents to get a stigma about their kids playing games, however. He says with this tips, kids can be able to game safely. He says gaming shouldn’t be seen as a “waste of time and activity, but it’s become a social platform more than anything.” He says he’s met some of his best friends through gaming, and it can help provide your kids with a way to interact with their friends as well.
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